Author: Rok Klemše
Artist: Cordura
Label: Self-released
Release: year_month
Runtime: 36:00
Rating: 4/5
Velenje. Once Tito’s, now Cordura’s. Velenje caught in a thunderhead of technical death metal in the spirit of bands like Death, Pestilence, Obscura, Blotted Science, Watchtower, Cynic and the like. A good four years ago, guitarist Tim Draksler put out his first EP, Morbid Desire, which sparked the idea of forming a proper band, and that’s how Cordura was born. The debut Astral Projection came out a good two years ago, and this year St. Nicholas’ Day brought the busy, hard-working band a second studio album, Pantheon of Bionic Gods.
Two years ago, Astral Projection was plagued mainly by weak production, which kept the band from really exploding, and even more by a lack of red thread and coherence, which got lost in some overly technical, overly complex wandering. Don’t get me wrong, at its core Cordura remains firmly anchored in technical death metal, but the second album is a serious step up from the first, this time polished down to the last detail. If the debut only hinted at something magnificent, Pantheon is the real step in that direction. For the first time, Cordura truly sounds like one whole, which comes down mostly to having just one vocalist, who, alongside Tim’s guitar wizardry, is the driving force of the album. Nejc Heine delivers a strong, mighty vocal performance that effortlessly paints the sci-fi story of otherworldly creators of humanity, made solely to be enslaved by bionic gods. Prime pulls you into it, with a bass intro that musically recalls eighties sci-fi movie soundtracks, and then Cordura opens up hell on earth with technical death metal, the musical equivalent of a supernova explosion.
Pantheon of Bionic Gods is one hell of a varied record, first of all thanks to the diverse vocals, which can growl properly, scream with confidence and even pull off some solid clean vocals. But behind that excellent vocal performance stands a magnificent wall of sound, built first and foremost on Draksler’s complex, wild riffing, plus a real barrage of solo excursions that recall Shrapnel-school shred one moment, the jazz atonality of Allan Holdsworth the next, then the melodies of Chuck Schuldiner or Craig Locicero, and then the mathematical difficulty of Ron Jarzombek (Tim also shares with him the building of his own guitars). On this album, Tim shows off a truly astonishing array of guitar techniques, which probably makes him one of the most polished players on our turf right now. Still, Tim leaves plenty of room for the other instruments too, with the riffing especially weaving superbly around Grega Plamberger’s outstanding drumming. Guests add their piece to the mighty mosaic once again, but this time they blend into Cordura’s overall picture much better than on the debut. Tim’s guitar pyrotechnics are joined once more by another guitar madman, Grega Habič, while the metal rampage is spiced up most beautifully by Lucija Hrastnik’s keyboards and Ana Novak’s violin in the album’s most ambitious track, Insomnia And Despair.
With Pantheon of Bionic Gods, Cordura has completely overshadowed their debut and leveled up in every way. Sound, songwriting, arrangements, the lot. The band is still unbelievably complex, so it takes a few more spins before the bionic gods really let you into their pantheon, but the tracks now get that proper »flow« that was maybe missing before. 36 minutes might not sound like much, but with its nonstop bombardment from its sonic cannons, Cordura honestly wears you out in that time, and yet the excellent musical experience leaves you thrilled and satisfied.
Lineup
Tim Draksler – guitar
Grega Plamberger – drums
Nejc Heine – vocals
GUESTS:
Uroš Apat – bass (6)
Grega Habič – lead guitar (2, 7)
Mladen Pepič – lead guitar (7)
Gorazd Planko – lead guitar (4)
Ana Novak – violin (7)
Lucija Hrastnik – keyboards (7)
Lara-Rose Sluyter – spoken word (4)
Production
Tim Draksler and Cordura
Tracklist
1. Prime
2. Surrealism of the Divine Element
3. Pantheon of Bionic Gods
4. Slave Machinery
5. The Unnamed
6. Importing Virus
7. Insomnia And Despair
8. Axis Mundi
